This invention relates to apparatus for measuring lengths of material and more particularly to an apparatus for electronically determining the price of measured lengths of material.
Machines for measuring and computing the cost of a material, such as cloth or other fabric, typically employ a measuring roll and a contact roll to grip the material. The measuring roll rotates as a material is drawn between the rolls and drives a gear train which, in turn, drives indicator dials which register the length of material drawn. The gear train also drives a price chart (such as a roller chart) which has suitable scales from which can be determined the total price of the material measured. These machines are limited in utility since they can only be used to measure out relatively large fractional yardage increments of material, such as eighths of yards, and can determine price only according to certain relatively large price increments, such as 10 cents, e.g., because of the necessarily limited number of chart scales which can be provided for use with the machine. If no price chart is provided with the machine, or the roller chart does not include a particular price, then the price determination for a measured length of material must be done by the operator or salesperson either by long hand computation or by use of a calculator.
Automatic electronic price computing apparatus has been employed for weighting scales as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,963,222 to Allen and 3,084,285 to Bell et al. However, the apparatus shown in these patents are not useful for length measuring because both disclose only methods of sensing unidirectional movement of their respective apparatus and determining price thereby. Neither discloses a method of sensing movement in either of two directions and computing a price with respect to the movements in either of these directions.